Reading the shelf…
United Markets is a specialty independent running 1 Bay Area store, large-format at about 26,260 sq ft each.
Nicasio Valley Cheese Company is a family-owned artisan cheese producer based in Nicasio, California, specializing in organic, farmstead cheeses.
It’s already on the shelf here, with 4 SKUs across 3 categories. The growth is depth and breadth: 2 categories to widen and 1 new door to enter.
Lead with Nicasio Valley Organic Brie Cheese Round in Brie.
United Markets stocks brie thinly, so a differentiated snack stands out instead of becoming the Nth option on a crowded shelf. It already earns space at 3 other Bay Area grocers.
United Markets carries cheddar in real depth, 65 SKUs against a fleet median of 31, so a new entry there is the Nth option, and its per-unit price would likely sit near the top of a crowded shelf. The more differentiated opening is brie: United Markets stocks only 8 there, so Nicasio Valley Organic Brie Cheese Round stands out rather than blending in. Lead with the brie, and position the cheddar as a finishing or gift item.
United Markets merchandises 4 of the 5 categories the brand sells.
organic against the store's assortment lean.
brand excitement 55/100.
enters a thin brie shelf as a point of difference.
Every category Nicasio Valley Cheese Company plays in across the Bay Area grocers we track, and where it stands at United Markets. Depth is the distinct SKUs the store carries there versus the fleet median, shown next to the rival brands already on that shelf.
On shelf here, but only 2 of 11 SKUs. Room to widen the line.
On shelf here, but only 1 of 2 SKUs. Room to widen the line.
Where it would price in brie. Each dot is a product on the shelf, by its cost per oz (hover for which). Nicasio Valley Cheese Company (orange) sits in line with the shelf.
Nicasio Valley Cheese Company’s SKUs United Markets doesn’t carry yet, ordered by how many other Bay Area grocers already stock them.
Presence and depth are measured from United Markets’ current Bay Area storefront: its online catalog plus our shelf photos, a partial view. A widely-distributed brand shown as a new door may already be carried through channels we don’t index. United Markets profile →
Already stocked here in other categories, so this one is a natural extension.
Fully stocked here (1/1 SKUs).
The store barely carries this category, so it is a hard sell.
